Initial evidence gathered by US intelligence suggests the explosion of a hospital in Gaza was caused by a failed rocket launch by Islamic Jihad, officials told CNN .
Among the evidence collected is an analysis of the explosion, which suggests that it was terrestrial, not caused by an air strike. There was no singular crater to suggest the existence of a bomb, but there was extensive fire damage and scattered debris, which is consistent with an explosion that started at ground level, according to the source.
VIDEO – Middle East has protests after attack on hospital
This analysis is data that has led intelligence officials to lean toward assessing that the attack on the hospital was a rocket launch gone wrong.
Still, the analysis of the explosion is just one of the things being examined by the intelligence community, which sent resources to the region to gather information. U.S. intelligence officials have not made a final assessment and are still gathering evidence, officials said.
The US government assesses that Israel was “not responsible” for the explosion, according to the National Security Council (NSC). Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said the assessment was based on available reports, including “intelligence, missile activity and open source videos and images of the incident.”
“Our current assessment, based on analysis of aerial imagery, intercepts and open source intelligence, is that Israel is not responsible for the hospital explosion in Gaza yesterday,” Watson said in a statement.
The NSC made an additional statement Wednesday afternoon further supporting its assessment. “Intelligence indicates that some Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip believed the explosion was likely caused by an erroneous rocket or missile launch carried out by Islamic Jihad. The militants were still investigating what had happened,” Watson said.
In addition to analysis of the explosion, the initial U.S. assessment was based on aerial imagery collected from U.S. satellites and intelligence intercepts provided by the Israelis, officials said.
Audio
Israeli authorities have released audio of what they say is Hamas militants discussing the explosion and attributing it to a rocket launched by Islamic Jihad.
This information could not be independently verified by CNN .
They also agree with the American thesis that the explosion was caused from the ground.
“There are no craters here. The walls remain intact. This shows that it was not an aerial munition that hit the hospital parking lot, said Israeli Defense Forces spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, this Wednesday (18).
“Analysis of our aerial images confirms that there was no direct impact on the hospital itself. The only damaged area is outside the hospital, in the parking lot, where we can see signs of flames.”
No access
Current and former law enforcement officials say assessing the cause of the U.S. explosion is hampered by a lack of access to the site and analysis of recovered bodies.
FBI teams can typically use samples from the scene to identify the rocket fuel and explosives used within hours, a former FBI official said.
Without examining the scene, U.S. authorities are forced to analyze signs and other information that can help make a strong circumstantial assessment of the cause, but is not definitive.
*With information from Natasha Bertrand, Katie Bo Lillis and Jeremy Herb, from CNN Internacional
Source: CNN Brasil
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